Dry Fasting

AN INTRODUCTION TO DRY FASTING

by Esmée La Fleur

A dry fast is an absolute, true fast in which you abstain from both food and water. This is the type of fast that was practiced by Moses (Exodus 34:28 & Deuteronomy 9:18, both times for 40 days), Ezra (Ezra 10:6, length undisclosed), the Nation of Israel (Esther 4:16, 3 days), Elijah (1 Kings 19:8, 40 days), the Ninevites and their animals (Jonah 3:7-10), most likely Jonah himself when he spent 3 days in the belly of the whale (Jonah 1:17), the Apostle Paul (Acts: 9:9, 3 days), and Jesus Christ (Matt 4:2, 40 days). More than likely, dry fasting has been practiced by many cultures and religious traditions throughout history.

Dry fasting has been practiced by the Russians for a very long time. There is quite a bit of literature available on dry fasting in the Russian language. However, none of these writings has been professionally translated. I was first introduced to the concept of dry fast by Tanya Zavasta (a native Russian speaker) in her book Quantum Eating. I found the information fascinating, but did not really know where to go with it. Then I discovered the web community forum The Fasting Connection where I met Milena Albert (a native Russian speaker) who had been practicing dry fasting and was in contact with Dr. Sergei Filonov, a Russian medical doctor who has been conducting dry fasts with his patients for 20 years. Then, I was referred to a Google translation of his 400 page book Dry Medical Fasting: Myths & Reality. While the translation leaves much to be desired (being computer generated), enough of the essence comes through to make it a very worthwhile read for anyone who in interested in embarking on this path.

There are two kinds of dry fasts: hard and soft. With a hard dry fast, the faster does not allow any water to touch their body, i.e. no washing dishes, no taking baths or shower, no brushing teeth, etc. With a softer dry fast, the faster can allow their body to come in contact with water. When you go on a dry fast, the pours of your skin develop a greater capacity to absorb water through the skin and in a good clean environment will readily absorb moisture from the air. It is for this reason that Dr. Filonov highly recommends undertaking a long dry fast in the mountains where the air if fresh, moist, and pure. He encourages many of his patients to sleep outside next to a stream of running water during their long dry fasts.

While several of our Biblical forefathers fasted for 40 days, the longest dry fast on record in modern times is 18 days. However, most modern practitioners of dry fasting do not recommend dry fasting for longer than 12 days. Dr. Filonov always recommends doing several water fasts before ever attempting a dry fast. Then he recommends that a person start with very short dry fasts, 36-hours once a week. After doing this for a while, then a person can gradually do longer dry fasts of 2, 3, and 4 days. Finally, to affect deep cleansing of the tissues and healing of serious chronic illnesses, he recommends a protocol known as a “fractionated” dry fast in which the person does a dry fast for 5-7 days, re-hydrates for 3 days, then does a second dry fast for 9-11 days. He has found this method to be extremely safe over time.

In order to achieve permanent healing results, a person must traverse two separate “acidotic” crises, the first between 3-5 days and the second between 9-11 days. So, by breaking up the fast, the “fractionated” method allows the person to go through the first crisis during the first fast and the second crisis during the second fast, thus reducing the stress on the body from too many toxins needing to be eliminated at one time. It should be noted that Dr. Filonov never recommend doing a dry fast for longer than 5 days without supervision. The problem with this is that there is are no medical doctors with experience in dry fasting in the United States. So, we are pretty much on our own if we want to use this method of healing.

Another method of dry fasting that Dr. Filonov has found to be extremely safe and beneficial is a protocol he calls “cascade” dry fasting in which the person begins by fasting 1 day and eating 1 day alternately. Then, he has the person fast 2 days and eat 2 days alternately, then fast 3 day and eat 3 days alternately, then fast 4 days and eat 4 days alternately, then fast 5 days and eat 5 days alternately. With this protocol the person is literally fasting one half of every month. In his book, Dr. Filonov says he personally knows a medical doctor who cured himself of a blood cancer by doing 5/5 protocol for a full year.

There was an interesting book published a few years ago called The Alternate Day Diet by Dr. James Johnson which advocates eating every other day for weight management and health maintenance. Although he did not have his patients fast completely on alternate days, but had them restrict their calories to 20% of metabolic requirements, his patient have experienced remarkable benefits and many have overcome severe inflammatory illnesses such as asthma (no longer needing medication). I don’t agree with his protocol of feeding on alternate days, and he even says that the results would be far greater if his patients did not eat anything on alternate days, but he feels that no one would be willing to fast every other day (perhaps he underestimates his patients?). His patients consume as much water as they desire.

I have communicated with a young man through The Fasting Connection who has suffered from severe irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) for a number of years. He decided to start water fasting every other day and has experienced remarkable improvements. After four months of doing this, he says that his IBS symptoms are 70% less than they were prior to instituting alternate day fasting. He has not changed his diet which he tells me is far from optimal. I wonder if he would get even better results if he dry fasted?

In a dry fast, the body does not eliminate toxins in the same manner as it does during a water fast. Instead of removing toxins through the normal channels of elimination, skin, liver, kidneys, urine, and bowels, it actually turns each cell into a tiny incinerator and burns the toxins up inside of the cell. One thing I have noticed since I started dry fasting is that I have almost no body odor or bad breath during a dry fast, while I always experienced this during a water fast. Each day of a dry fast is said to be equivalent to 3 days of a water fast in terms of detoxification, so you accomplish much more in a shorter time. The good thing about this is that a person does not need to take a long absence from their normal life, so it costs less both for the fast itself (if you are going to a facility to be supervised) and for the time taken off from work. Also, you lose less muscle mass and more body fat with dry fasting, than you do with water fasting, and the recovery time is quicker. Returning to normal function after a 10 day dry fast is much faster than after a 30 day water fast.

Nevertheless, a person should plan for a re-building time of twice the length of the dry fast. So, for example, if you do a 7 day dry fast, you should plan for a 2 week recovery period. After my first 4 day dry fast, I had so much energy on day 2 of re-feeding that I decided to go dig up a garden bed I wanted to plant and ended up pulling a muscle in my forearm because I was not properly re-hydrated. It took a week to heal and I learned my lesson. Do not overestimate your capabilities after a dry fast and make sure you give your body sufficient time to recover before engaging in any strenuous physical activity.

How you exit a dry fast is extremely important. If you do it incorrectly, you can definitely harm yourself. In his book, Dr. Filonov says to drink two liters of pure water very slowly, holding each sip in your mouth as long as possible, over a two hour period. Then he says to continue drinking water for the next 12 hours a little bit at a time. After that you can start to reintroduce other foods and liquids. Dr. Filonov is not a practitioner of a Zero Carb diet, so he recommends making a fruit compote out of dried figs, prunes, apricots, and raisins (all unsulfured and organic) cooked in water to soften before eating, as well as vegetable soup, fish broth, and raw milk kefir. The way I would come off a dry fast is to rehydrate with water as Dr. Filonov recommends and then introduce bone broth. After that, I would begin eating meat again. My preference is for raw ground beef, but rare steak would be my next choice. The key is to not over eat. Just make sure to hydrate yourself well with plain water before trying to eat anything solid.

Dry fasting itself is not a “cure,” but it provides the right conditions to allow the body to activate all of its own, God-given, healing powers. Dr. Filonov has seen many illnesses heal through dry fasting; below is a list of the ones he mentions in his book:

256 thoughts on “Dry Fasting”

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Can i drink the raw milk kefir on an empty stomach immediately i finished the 3 days dry fasting? Or i should eat the fruit compote and vegetable soup, and fish broth first? Or immediately i finished drinking the water about 2 hours sipping and 12 hours drinking later? Thanks for your teaching.

Good morning and thanks for your reply. Is it mandatory to prepare the dried fruit compote with its ingredients? And if I should do, what are the ingredients? Or can I boiled it just like that and eat it? How many minutes does it takes to boil? And can I drink the water with the boiled fruits? Or I should pour the water away? Can I also mix the boiled compote fruit with the raw kefir milk and eat or consume them together the same time? Please, forgive me for boring you with questions. Thanks.

No it’s not mandatory in my opinion. I’ve never personally done it. I simply share Dr. Filonov’s recommendations. I don’t know how to cook it, but I would let it simmer on low until the dried fruit is very soft. This might take an hour or longer. Yes drink the water it’s cooked in because it will contain a significant amount of potassium that was in the fruit. I don’t see why you couldn’t have the kefir at the same time.

Currently on day 5 of a 7 day dry fast. First 2 days were soft as I washed dishes and had to swallow medication so needed a swallow of water to get the pill down, last 3 have been hard dry fasting. So yes I fasted since Christmas Eve. hardest and easiest fast so far. Hardest because I did it through Christmas but easiest because of the fact the side effects are minimal compared to water fasting. I have done a 18, 21, and 15 day water fast so far this year. Starting weight was 345lbs in March of this year, as I type this I am 101 lbs lighter at 244 lbs. I like dry fasting and will use it in January to get under 200 for the first time since 1984. Then I will be going ZC to maintain. God Bless you all and Merry Christmas!

Thank you & May the LORD bless you. But after a dry fasting, the person eats with difficulty like it becomes painful when swallowing, so, what can be best for eating or drinking fist, to avoid the pain

It is very important to drink plain water very slowly until you are rehydrated. How much water you need depends on how kind your dry fast was. If you dry fast for more than 3 days, it is probably wise to spend a full day rehydrating your body with plain water before trying to drink or eat anything else.

I agree with Esmeelafleur, re: “after dinner” 36-hour dry fasts being a good introduction. (And this was after I first tested my ability with a shorter 18-hour dry fast.)

Re: exercise, I did exercise the first time I dry fasted and felt great but this time feel drawn to rest. I’d say listening to the body is key, especially given that dry fasting is so much more intense than a water fast.

Amazing content. I have done 25-hour dry fasting and many days of intermittent fasting. Now I understand the healing mechanism behind the simple yet rarely performed magic in the contemporary times. Thank you for sharing and spreading your knowledge.

How long of regular dry fasting will it take for the body to fully heal itself of every problem and become nearly perfect? Also when my body is fully clean can I eat junk food on occasions without getting headaches etc?

Everyone is different and it would likely take more than one dry fast. Fasting is something best done periodically and on a regular basis. Dr. Jack Goldstein rite a fantastic book about his recovery from severe ulcerative colitis. He was on the verge of a colostomy, but tried fasting as a last resort. He did a 6 week water fast and it resulted in enough healing that we was able to avoid the colostomy. But he did a 4-6 week water fast every year for 5 years before he felt completely healed. You can find his book “Triumph Over Disease” used through Amazon. The longest dry fast one can do is about 11 days, and that needs to be worked up to. You need to do several water fasts as well as several shorter dry fasts before embarking on a longer dry fast. And a dry fast of that length should be done under supervision. I would never recommend eating junk food of any kind and cannot imagine why one would want to.

I have been dry fasting for two years. I was even at a point where I was dry fasting 56hr every week which after 3 months I realised was too much and my body wasn’t getting properly rehydrated at the end of ever week. I have done two 4 days dry fast. I don’t bother with water fasts. However my body has become really sensitive to many things which are unhealthy, which I know is a good thing as I have a total clean diet with no junk food whatsoever even occasionally. But It can get rather annoying at times because I get a headache or get tingling feeling whenever I eat or come in contact with anything unhealthy. It has it’s positives such as I know what is healthy or unhealthy for the body but is annoying especially in social circumstances. Can you tell me if such sensitivity will go away after a few more months of fasting? I’m thinking it might be a phase. I believe it might be my immune system being rewired. Do you have any knowledge on such matter?
Thanks

I have come to the conclusion that dry fasting is a much bigger deal than water fasting, and that the rehydration process cannot be underestimated. I am currently on an extended fast. I did 5 days of water, followed by 5 days of dry, and now I have completed 4 days of water again. It has taken these 4 days of 2 liters of water per day, sipped slowly throughout the day, for me to feel fully rehydrated again.

As far as food sensitivities go, I started fasting because of food sensitivities. Unfortunately, fast, either water or dry, has not improved my ability to tolerate more foods. My story is long and complex, but it started with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which is notorious for messing up the digestive system. I cannot eat any plant foods at all because they all contain salicylates. Salicylates ate chemical natural toxins produced by plants to protect themselves from over-grazing by animals. Some people, like myself, have trouble metabolizing them in much the same way as diabetics have trouble metabolizing carbohydrates. Fasting has not changed this for me, and I believe this is because I am actually missing the enzymes needed to break them down. Similarly, fasting can improve the health of a diabetic, but it will not enable them to resume eating a high carbohydrate diet since they have lost their ability to metabolize carbohydrates through long term overconsumption.

The fact that you body is telling you loud and clear that it does not like certain “foods” which are probably not really ideal human foods at all, is a huge blessing in my opinion, as it is will prevent you from developing a more serious chronic illness down the road.

I use to be lactose intolerance but fasting healed that for me. I think if you continue fasting it will heal your sensitivity. Our bodies coevolved with plants and meat as a nutritional source. The main question is were you always intolerant to salicylates? As a kid could you eat plants without any side effects. If so, then your body has the potential to create enzymes to digest it, however it may just be the case of the RNA being damaged and unable to transcribe the enzyme. Maybe if you continue fasting long enough it will destroy the damaged protein and create a new functional protein. That’s how my lactose intolerance got reversed. However it did take a long time to heal.

Just an update for people reading this blog that my food sensitivities are gone thanks to fasting. I don’t get headaches when I eat junk food no matter how unhealthy it is. Although I still avoid junk food like the plague. Dry fasting works and is amazing. Also I never get sick again. No coughs or flu ever

What kind of energy levels do you experience during dry fasting for say 3-5 days? I work full time and I am concerned that I may not be able to function well at work. Please share your experiences.
Thank you.

So did Dr. Jack Goldstein only do water fasts and not dry fasts – and it was these water fasts and not dry fasting which cured him?
If so I would like to water fasting for one day and build it up – dry fasting sounds too scary for me at the moment.

this is wild…..i have fasted but not dry fasted. My body loses too much water. I would be afraid of dehydration. However, its been awhile since I have fasted and every time I have done it it sucks at first but after about 18 hours of not eating , my body starts to really cleanse itself. Completely different state and feeling.

I’m on day three of my dry fast for the first time. I have been working out all three days at the gym for an hour. What do you suggest when I break tomorrow. I have lost 9 lbs and counting in the 3 days

Always best to break it with water. Wait a while for the water to go into your stomach and gut so it’s hydrated and then eat. If you do fasts longer then 5 days then you need to break it with water for a day or two and then introduce light food etc.

I am interested in this method. I have recently been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. Quite curable, but also have high C reactive protein number and elevated white blood cell count, hypertension and type 2 diabetes. What other material would you recommend reading regarding this process?

I am not really sure. Dr. Filonov may have discussed this in his book Dry Medical Fasting, but I am not remembering it at the moment. You can get a Google English translation of his book on-line. It is not the best translation, but it is understandable and well worth reading.

Thank you so much for the info. I just did a 31 hours dry fast and broke the fast today, the first thing I had was juice but now my stomach is running and now I’m just having fruits (pears and apples) and a sip of water so far. Should I eat meat or what should I eat cause I’m planning to go dry again tomorrow? And I would like to know my dad is on insulin he’s dibetic, is there a method of fasting he can follow that would heal him? Thanks

I fasted for 34 days – 9 days dry and 25 days water-only. The dry stints were first with 5 days and then two weekends of 2 days each. I was completing a 6-week business course while I was fasting. It was not feasible to dry fast while doing the course on week days.

As far as my doctor in Australia was concerned, I had never had it. My first test was in another country and my doctor suggested that it could have been a faulty test. But my partner had the same test and she tested negative. I guess I will never know.

I just finished my first dry fast after 36 hours and am looking forward to repeating this often and then extending the duration. Over the past few years, I’ve done several water-only fasts, including 10, 22, 26, and 30 days with benefits and a gradual healing of my irritable bowel, joint and back pains, chronic fatigue and brain fog. I also did a 60-day grapefruit juice fast following a three-day dry fast. These fasts were done in conjunction with a mostly raw fruit and vegetable vegan diet.

Even so, I still have not been able to improve my low adrenals and low kidney function. That’s why I’m cranking it up with the dry fasting. As someone mentioned, the problem with water fasting is that it gets very expensive when you have to take off a month and a half to two months to fast and recover. I had to pay to stay somewhere so that someone knowledgeable was around just in case, plus the loss of income during that time when not working.

Thanks for the information! I plan to find a copy of the book you recommended.

I recommend you do a 36-42 hr dry fast weekly and also a 13-18 hr dry fast daily. Just a 36 hr dry fast weekly, although extremely powerful won’t be enough to see substantial healing within short period of time. So please supplement it with daily dry fasting as well. I do 37hr dry fast weekly and a 13 hr dry fast daily. Just make sure you rehydrate before eating your meals

I have been following your comments on this blog post and appreciate every one of them. This one is especially helpful to me.

I am healthy and do dry fasting for spiritual reasons. I have struggled to find an optimum solution to my diet as I feel very sluggish and my meditations not as good when I eat for longer days. Your recommendation would probably fit my body’s very light nutritional needs perfectly.

I eat it completely plain because i like to taste the quality and freshness of the meat. Eating it completely raw and completely plain allows me to receive a very ckear “stop” signal when i have had enough. The taste of the meat changes from pleasant to unpleasant, often in only one to two bites.

You can try cooking it for a short time on each side and see how you do.

I don’t care for the taste of lamb ir veal and I don’t have access to gane meats. If you like the, they are great options.

I tried rump steak cooked medium raw I only managed to nibble a bit though because it was too chewy and I was put off by the look of blood. If that why you grind your beef? To get of the chewy bits? Thanks

I would never eat rump. If you want to eat beef raw as a steak, then the best choice is filet mignon or ribeye. Filet is super lean and will need some kind of added fat. I buy ribeye or New York Strip from Costco in bulk packages. They are untrimmed and vacuum sealed. I prefer PRIME grade because it is much fattier and better quality over all, but more expensive than CHOICE grade. I grind my steaks because I digest them better that way, but many in our Facebook group Principia Carnivora will eat a raw ribeye just like they would a cooked ribeye.

I have been on, and off zero carb for the last 6 months, overall quite low carb. I have been researching fasting, and am playing around with a 4-6 hr eating window. Do you think there is a benefit to making the 18-20 hour fast a dry fast, or do you think that is too short to get the benefits?

I’ve done this with only one meal a day, eating once every 24 hours. The main difficulty in my experience is properly hydrating before eating. You need a good 2 quarts of water before eating. So you might have to start drinking 2 hours before you plan to eat. Can’t hurt to experiment and see how you feel.

Hello Esmee! As a sufferer of mold/biotoxin illness who has not been able to tolerate the standard toxin binders, I’m intrigued with this statement:

“In a dry fast, the body does not eliminate toxins in the same manner as it does during a water fast. Instead of removing toxins through the normal channels of elimination, skin, liver, kidneys, urine, and bowels, it actually turns each cell into a tiny incinerator and burns the toxins up inside of the cell.”

How is this determined? In other words, how do we know that cellular process occurs?

Hello esmee, thank you so much for writing this. You were the one who actually convinced me to embark on a dry fasting journey. I found it surprisingly easy. I’ve started with dry fasting up to 16 hours then water fasting to complete the 24 hour mark, instead of starting with a water fast and then transitioning into a dry fast. Was that bad logic on my behalf?

No, I think that is fine. I have done it both ways. I recently did a 16 day fast that was >>> 5 water – 5 dry – 6 water <<< and I really liked doing it that way. But I have also gone directly into dry fasts from my last meal.

I have done 1 day a meal fast for over 20 days. I would drink 4 glasses of water at 6:30pm and eat whatever food i am given at the family table (paying no attemtion to the class of food)at 7 pm I might take water if I am tirsty up till 11:45 am when I start my dry fasting. I will end my first 3 days soft dry fast by mid night today and have no particular plan other than to eat whatever I am offered at the family table. Is this healthy enough? is there any advice you would give me? I am 45 yes old married man and my fasting is strictly for religious purposes.I do not think I have any health problems.

I would begin drinking water 2 hours before eating and make sure to consume a minimum of 2 quarts/liters before eating. I would not drink and water after eating for at least 4 hours because it dilutes the digestive juices. I believe a person can always benefit from fasting no matter their duet, but I strongly recommend eating only real foods and not too many carbohydrates.

Hi. I am currently on a 24 hour of dry fasting, for spiritual reasons. I started yesterday with intermittent fasting. I have a slight headache but it is not bad at all. I plan to do it for 3 days. I am worried I might fall off the wagon, so how do you keep on going? Thank you in advance.

Hi Eva – if this is your first dry fast, 3 days might be too much. Each dry fast gets easier. I started with 36 hours and gradually added 12 hours to each one. You will feel very thirsty when you first start them, but this lessens as you do more of them. Also, you can go through a period of hours where you feel very thirsty, but then it goes away. The best approach- in my experience – is to just take it one hour at a time. Don’t look too far ahead. Pray and ask God to give you strength.

Esmee, why is dry fasting not recommended for endocrine issues? I have hypothyroidism. But other issues that dry fasting would help. How does dry fasting affect the adrenals? (mine are not in a super bad state, just wondering.) What do you think?

I don’t know the reason. I have CFS which involves hormonal stuff, including adrenal insufficiency, and I have definitely benefited from dry fasting. The best thing to do is try it. Start with short ones and gradually go longer if they seem to help you.

On my dry fast, 24 hrs, felt irritable, mucus in my mouth to cough out on the tissue, some yoga postures help, but felt energy came back started on 36 hrs, will continue till 48 hrs, but not sure if confident to dry fast 72 hr. 2 times waterfast few years back. Recent 2 weeks began raw foods diet, 8 hrs of 2 meals per day, 16 hrs dry fast daily for 2 weeks followed Tonya Zavasta’s Quantum Eating.

Appreciate the advice, the significance of rehydrate 2hrs before eating any foods, the way to drink water, staying inside mouth, let it slowly drip, like wine tasting, savoy every drop of clean spring water.

It’s allright. Work your way up to longer fast. You will realise it gets easier and easier. I’ve done a 7 days dry fast and didn’t even feel thirsty for the first four days. People do 14 days dry fast without even feeling thirsty, or getting low energy or even dry mouth or lips, or weight loss (assuming they are lean). Once you body is clean of junk, It can story water inside your cells instead of junk so you become extremely hydrated. To reach this level of hydration can take a year or two of dry fasting. Cells have vacuoles in them which store wastes and junk to prevent contamination of the rest of the body. However the vacuole has the capability of storing nutrients as well as water. But because of our contaminated bodies all our cells contain junk only. When you dry fast all of this junk will pour out of the cell and slowly be replaced with water and nutrients. There are people out there who can do 40 days dry fast (no food or water). However I do not recommend it unless your body is extremely clean.

Well I’m actually not sure if the 40 days dry fast is real but I read it here.http://www.breathairmusic.com/
“Having removed the obstructions from the cells of his body, he is ready to dry fast and truly benefit from it on a long-term basis. I think his longest stint was over 40 days dry and he often does shorter ones regularly.”
I don’t know how true it is, but I would obviously never recommend anyone to do more then a 14 day dry fast.http://www.rawfoodsupport.com/read.php?9,90316,96274
This guy or girl has done a 14 day dry fast to cure acne.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1578554/Man-kept-24-day-suicide-starvation-diary.html
This guy wanted to kill himself so he starved himself to death and it took him 24 days no food or water to die. I think he did dry fasting. Because 24 days is too little to dry from water fasting. Also he was in the middle of the forest in a tree hut. If it was indeed that he dry fasted, for a experienced faster, it will take longer to die from dry fasting because of a chemically equipped body and a cleaner more efficient and hydrated body. This man was not trained for fasting.
This guy did a 12 day dry fast. He is a regular faster.

Thank you. I have done 11 days, and that was difficult. However, I am a thin person with little body fat. It may be that the more excess body fat a person has, the more cellular fluid they have in storage, thus making longer dry fasts possible.

You say: ‘ In his book, Dr. Filonov says he personally knows a medical doctor who cured himself of a blood cancer by doing 5/5 protocol for a full year.’ And then at the end you say: ‘ **Please note: There are a number of conditions for which dry fasting is contraindicated; namely, malignant tumors or blood conditions,..’ So which is it? I have secondary breast cancer and am keen to know whether dry fasting would be harmful or helpful. Thanks.

I have only summarized and shared what Dr. Filonov says in his book. I suspect that it has to do with how far advanced the person’s illness is. If you have an early stage cancer, then I do not see any danger in implementing dry fasting as part of your healing process.

Hello.
I am a person who has suffered with adrenal fatigue, CFS, low thyroid and serious digestive issues that even water is a problem at times when i ingest it for a number of years. Also, due to so many food intolerances I have a very limited diet. I eat about 4 different foods. Toxic issues also. Unfortunately i got worse again after i had a blood infection last year and had no choice to be on s heavy broad spectrum antibiotic for 12 days. My digestive issues just don’t ever get better even with avoidance of many many things. I came across this website Zerocarb looking for information and help. I am curios about this dry fasting which i had never heard of HOWEVER, I DO NOT have a LARGE INTESTINE. The entire thing was removed in my early 20’s. Many doctors don’t know how to handle my symptoms because of not having my colon and are afraid of detoxing due to this and my super sensitivities to everything. How do I know if this is safe for me as the one thing i feel i cannot do without is water where as food I often just eat two very small meals a day. Any advice?? I am reaching a point of despair with my chronic fatigue, adrenals, brain fog, mold issues etc….and especially my digestive problems. I am no longer enjoying my life as I have been dealing with this for years and trying so many things that don’t seem to help especially any kind of supplements etc…I have spent thousands of dollars with naturopath, holistic doctors. 😦
Any advice would be helpful.

Hello.
I am a person who has suffered for years with adrenal fatigue, CFS, low thyroid and serious digestive issues that even water is a problem at times when i ingest it. Also, due to so many food intolerances I have a very limited diet. I eat about 4 different foods. Toxic issues also. Unfortunately i got worse again after i had a blood infection last year and had no choice to be on s heavy broad spectrum antibiotic for 12 days. My digestive issues just don’t ever get better even with avoidance of many many things. I came across this website Zerocarb looking for information and help. I am curios about this dry fasting which i had never heard of HOWEVER, I DO NOT have a LARGE INTESTINE. The entire thing was removed in my early 20’s. Many doctors don’t know how to handle my symptoms because of not having my colon and are afraid of detoxing due to this and my super sensitivities to everything. How do I know if this is safe for me as the one thing i feel i cannot do without is water where as food I often just eat two very small meals a day. Any advice?? I am reaching a point of despair with my chronic fatigue, adrenals, brain fog, mold issues etc….and especially my digestive problems. I am no longer enjoying my life as I have been dealing with this for years and trying so many things that don’t seem to help especially any kind of supplements etc…I have spent thousands of dollars with naturopath, holistic doctors. 😦
Any advice would be helpful.

I feel for you. I eat only one food, fatty beef, for similar reasons. I also cannot take supplements and react to some waters. I have been sick since age 16, very sick since age 26. I am now 46. It definitely gets old. I only recently figured out that all of my food sensitivities are caused by salicylate and histamine intolerance. Please read each of the links on these at the top of my blog. I was diagnosed with CFS and POTS many years ago, but these may both be symptoms of MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome). Please google “MCAS and Dr. Afrin” and his book will come up. I recommend you read it. As far as dry fasting goes in your unique situation I really am not qualified to say. You would just have to try short ones and gradually make them longer to see how you do. I wish I could be more helpful.

I will look into it. I may have to try just doing protein and water to see if that helps and eliminate the two vegetables that i eat. Its just so hard to digest protein but its worth a try. I will start with going back to 12-16 hour periods of fasting also.

Hi 😉
I have been reading so much on the Eat Meat &Drinknwater site. I am getting a little overwhelmed and i already have a lot of knowledge going through what I do. I seem to have the sensitivities are caused by salicylate and histamine intolerance.

Can you guide me to what meats are best to try and where do you buy your fresh meat? I get mine from whole foods because there are almost no butchers or meat farmers here in Miami. I have trouble digesting 3 ounces of Bison let alone grass fed beef. I feel I get inflamed even when I used to drink bone broth. I stick to mainly two fish but I feel I don’t get enough fat?

I can’t touch dairy and I see you are able to do Heavy cream. I feel like the heavier the meat the harder to digest. I never felt good eating chicken. Do I need to try other beef cuts? Sorry for all my questions. You and I have very similar histories except the fact I do not have a large intestine. 😦

Karen – The only food I have eaten for the past year and a half is fatty beef. I eat no eggs or dairy or broth. I can only eat the fat that comes with the meat. The meat has to be as fresh as possible. The best meat for me is the bulk package of New York Strip Prime grade from Costco. I bring it home and cut it into meal size portions and freeze. This prevents histamines from forming. Then I thaw a portion each night in the fridge and grind it fresh just before eating. I eat all my meat raw. Cooked meat and fat makes me very ill.

You will have to work with what you got. Do short dry fast as esmeelafleur recommended and increase it gradually. 12-16 hrs of fasting is very weak. It’s a start but you will eventually have to increase it to 32-42 hrs dry a week. If your body is in a really bad condition it is highly likely you will either get a fever during the initial fasts. This will go away after your body is cleansed. Because your large intestine has been removed you are missing a lot of microbiota which is involved in immune system development, food digestion, carbohydrate digestion and biosynthesis of vitamins. Good luck.

Sorry I thought at one point you did dairy. I have been reading so much and everyone’s testimonials that I am probably getting everyone confused. 😉
I dont think I could get myself to eat raw meat. I will have for law one day at a time.
I ate 4 ounces of bison which I do once a week as it takes hours to digest. Fish goes down easier but I am missing the fat. I haven’t tried egg yolks. I know I react to egg whites. I know for awhile now I am not getting enough protein and fat. 😦 my weight is low.
Thanks for accepting me on FB for the website PC.

I know raw meat is a psychological hurdle for many, but most are surprised at how much they like it once they get past that part. All I can tell you is that my digestion of raw vs. cooked meat is like day and night. Cooked meat makes my body miserable and causes inflammation.

You mention you grind it – what does that entail exactly? Is it just physically pounding it thin or putting it through some machine?
What is the name of the fatty beef cuts? I will see if I can get some. Thanks

I have my own meat grinder. It’s a LEM #12. I buy vacuum sealed untrimmed PRIME grade New York Strip or Ribeye in bulk packages from Costco. This is the freshest, best quality beef with enough fat for the price ($10-11/lbs) that i have found. I need a lot of fat and the only fat i can eat is beef fat. The vacuum sealing keeps histamines low which is important for me.

I chose that meat grinder because i wanted stainless steel and i wanted it to last a lifetime. That model got excellent reviews. There ate certainly less expensive meat grinders, but I haven’t used them and so i cannot recommend any. Not all meat grinders work well. There’s a hige difference in the quality of the ground meat produced. I had a friend with a super inexpensive grinder, and the meat was so bad that I couldn’t eat it.

You do not need to grind it to eat it raw. I personally digest it better when i grind it, but many do fine eating it just like a steak.

Yes, in the beginning, I was eating cheese, butter, heavy whipping cream, eggs, bone broth, and pork. But I eventually eliminated all of these because I realized they were not good for me. I went exclusive to beef, and then exclusively to raw beef. It was a process that took me about one and a half years. In January, I will have been ZC for 2 full years.

Thanks for your reply Dallas. You are correct on what I am missing due to not having my large intestine. So frustrating because a lot of docs even holistic and naturopaths sometimes are baffled or don’t know how to assist. I can’t seem to get past 12-14 hours even on a water fast. I get stomach gas and my joints start to really hurt. I feel my body becomes acidic.
I notice when I eat more than 4 ounces of meat especially like Duck and others my joint pain doubles and I get a bad taste in my mouth and I cannot ever mix 2 proteins!!! My stomach can’t digest it. Drives me crazy.
Anyway, I am a little bit at a loss lately. 🙄

I can only eat one type of meat at a time also. I presume that our hunter ancestors ate mostly monomeals. I don’t see them having killed a bison and then saying to themselves, “You know, I think I would like a little chicken to go along with this.” LOL

Joint pains and gas are healing symptoms. The only true symptom of fasting is weight loss and lower energy and everything else is a healing symptom. The gas forming might be that your digestive system is finally breaking down residue products and cleaning it which it couldn’t do before because of the constant influx of food. As your body gets cleaner your symptoms will subside and go away one by one as each problem is healed.
Please read my summary on how dry fasting works:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WAC_-QYQIl2heeREv88sZaOad5DTxR8lbycqIAyXQA8/edit?usp=sharing
I have backed up almost all of my claims with scientific studies and it is important that you read it so you know how it works.

Have a question…….going to attempt fasting slowly. Can this reverse osteoarthritis…..rebuilding cartilage and realigning joints? Have it in most joints and have had 2 knee replacements. Pain is getting worse. Read your article and so much info. Am new to this and willing to try this. Wish I would have tried before getting knees replaced!

It is only safe to dry fast for 11 days and the should be done under supervision and in a controlled temperature environment. You have to do many shoter dry fasts before that. Someone choosing to starve themselves to death has nothing to do with proper fasting.

I just meannto stay inside in a stabke temperature. If you live in a very cold damp climate, keep the room or home comfortably warm. If you live in a hot dry climate, keep the room comfortably cool. Don’t put undue stress on your body to compensate for temperature extremes.

I have visited different forums where Milena Albert shared her experience about dry fasting. But since quiet some time she seemed to have disspaeared from those forums. Anyone can help how I can get in contact with her?

My husband has MSA, a rare neurological condition. He has been doing intermittent fasts for the last few years. Prior to doing the fasts he had suffered pulmonary embolisms x 3. None recently. No medications. I’m still concerned. So I was checking google for information to backup my plan to tell him he needs to stop his current 5 day going on 6 day dry fast and I found your site. I’m less worried and tending to think he’s awesome. I’ll share the information about gradually rehydration. That seems to be the miserable part. He has done up to 7 days dry fast and 9 days water fasting . Thanks.

I’m currently on day 9 of a soft dry fast. I’m an experienced water and dry faster, having done both off and on for the past year. I’m not zero carb, at least not yet, but my Weston A. Price diet seems to be getting closer and closer to it all the time. I weigh 170 lbs. I don’t have a set end for this dry fast. I’m listening to my body to see how it does. My previous dry fast was 5 days. This time, I didn’t even have a remotely day mouth at that point, so I kept going. On day 9 now, I’m starting to get a slightly dry mouth, but I’m still not getting desperate cravings for water, so I’ll keep going a bit longer. Here’s my question, though. All tummy hunger went away after a day or so of fasting, but now I’m suddenly getting the same tummy feelings that I had when starting dry fast. I know it isn’t true hunger. I’m not craving food, and I still have plenty of reserves, so I’m sure I’m not having issues with that. But in everyone’s experiences I’ve read on dry fasting, nobody has mentioned that symptom suddenly returning during a fast. I do know that (due to craziness in my life…) I have not gotten nearly enough sleep the last couple nights, and I am desperately tired. Could that be the cause? Anyone else had a similar experience or any theories as to why this might be happening and how long it could last? It’s making this part of the day rather unpleasant, whereas the rest of it has been lovely. I really like dry fasting and prefer it to any other variety. Thanks!

Yes, stresscan cause a return of appetite before it might otherwise happen if you were able to truly rest with no worries or responsibilities. The longest dry fast I ever did was 10 days and Dr. Filonov says to go no longer than 11 days. Congratulations on you success so far!

I am 5’6″ and my weight is around 110 lbs. I am 46 years old. I do not work out vigorously due to a chronic health condition called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. I am able to walk my dog short distances, but that is about it.

Since you seem to be the only one of the knowledgeable dry fasters still active online, I’d like to ask you about something related. In Milena’s blog of her 40-day combined fast (I assume you are familiar with it) she wrote that on the 9th day we should ‘dip into’ a natural resource of water. Do you know more about this? Should this only be short contact with cold water or could it be longer? Could it be done daily on the remaining days of the fast, possibly more than once daily? Is taking a hot shower OK, i.e. not hindering the fast taking its full effect? Thanks in advance for any help, it’s greatly appreciated.

A soft dry fast allow contact with water on the outside of the body, while a hardery fast dies not. I would be cautious of temperatures that are overly hot or cold when taking a bath or shower on a soft dry fast.

Have you heard of urine therapy. It could help your condition. I personally do urine therapy myself and it has really helped me accelerate the healing dry fasting gives me. Urine therapy is just as or almost as powerful as dry fasting in my opinion. You should do some research and try it. Read people’s testimonies. They have healed a lot of stuff from urine alone. Aged urine is even better to drink. The key to longevity is: Dry fasting + Urine Therapy + Calorie Restriction + Mostly Raw diet + Short Burst exercises + Organic wine. You might think urine is a waste product but if you do your research you will realise its not. The amount of toxins in urine is minuscule compared to the amount in your gut. Urea strengthens the liver and thus helps in healing. I always though urine was gross as well but after I tried it I was amazed at the results. I had a broken join and after drinking urine within 15 minutes the pain went down by 50%. Once I had a headache and after drinking urine within 5 seconds the headache went away fully. I had a swollen tonsil and after drinking urine within 40 minutes it was 90% healed. Animals in wild also drink their urine especially if they don’t have access to water. Try it. Try aged urine, its even better. It’s perfect for building the right gut micro biota and has antibiotics to kill viruses. Junk is filtered by the liver and not kidneys, thus your urine is sterile and mostly clean. The little junk it has will only stimulate your immune system to train it more and most of the junk won’t get absorbed. The point is urine has next to no junk in it.

Dallas you’re absolutely correct..I ve read most of your comments and cannot but I agree on every level, since I share the same opinions and practice just about every thing you do..Im surprised no one here mentioned a name Evgeny Malachov, who is an unbelievably experienced expert in Fasting,Dry Fasting,Urine therapy,and cleansing(detoxing ) you mind and karma..unfortunately(of course!!) his books are in Russian language..Mr.Malachov wrote numerous books and just may be the greatest single source of combined knowledge/ author/ of one’s complete self healing body thru Fasting / Dry fasting and Urine therapy..I run marathons and triathlons.. I water fast and dry fast and do urine therapy..I live in United States..@ Esmee-there is no doubt in my mind, not for a second, that you /would/ find an answer how to rid yourself of your plant based food allergies or get to the point you d be able to exercise or run for miles along w your dog following Mr.Malachov book..there are (2) books of his that I think its a crime no one translated to English yet- (1)Fasting..(2) Complete cleansing of the body…in 30 years he received thousands of letters& testimonies from people around the world,who followed his principles of self curing- mostly hopeless cancer patients that were aborted by their doctors, left to die (bone cancers patients,breast cancer,ovarian cancer,brain tumors, leukemia even HIV patients,every..) I have to stress the point-if you serious about living the life to fullest, happy healthy life ,free o disease -you cannot go half way..as gross and repulsive it sounded to me too years back too (urine therapy,drinking your own urine as medicine)-its a one of the greatest natural cure’s one will ever discover-your own body’s most amazing self healing medicine/remedy..remember-educate yourself, study,keep open mind-and you will be rewarded ..The books are a life changing t..Thank God they were translated to Czech language,which allowed me to read them..there is no maladie on this earth that cannot be wiped out or cured thru repeated fasting, changing of diet, urine therapy and clearing of your karma (inherited or accumulated by you)..Modern medicine and big Pharmaceutic companies of western world has no desire nor are interested in healthy person-there is no profit there..They mask the symptoms with strong drugs,never actually interested in healing the body- pump more& more chemicals into your body, prescribing more and more drugs until they ruined your internal organs completely and you pass away-nice doing business with you..Change today-help yourself and you will be rewarded..God bless

No-thank you Esmee for running useful website with wonderful info..Gob bless you for that..also I d like to correct-in case someone would google his name-its Genadij Malachov (not Evgeny)-
Gennady P. Malakhov is a famous Russian expert & writer of books on folk-traditional natural healing medicine. He has published more than sixty books, which have been sold in over thirty million copies and translated into several foreign languages. With his books he wants to motivate people to get to know their own body and to heal themselves thru fasting. Many of the treatments which he recommends in his books, he applied to himself (Urine therapy, fasting etc ).He received thousands of letters from people that followed his simple teachings and successfully rid themselves of every possible cancer there is, arthritis ,malaria, tuberculosis, skin diseases, food allergies etc-list goes on and on..

I have done a urine fast and have done several dry fasts. In my experience urine fasts are stronger. By urine fast I mean only drinking urine and no water. I would say urine fasts are atleast twice as strong as dry fasts and twice as easy as well and you can go longer on a urine fast as well. I have done 7 day dry fast twice so I can compare. Urine fast open you up and cleans your digestive system. Not to mention that there are a lot of stem cells in urine that can be used by the body. Scientists have made brain cells and teeth in labs using the stem cells in urine. During fasting the stem cell production increases however a lot of the stem cells end up in urine because your body can’t manage that much stem cells at once. By drinking urine you are recycling ketones, growth hormone, stem cells and testosterone so you become a healing, fat burning, energised, growth machine all at the same time. What I have noticed is that during my dry fasts my facial hair doesn’t grow much. However during my urine fasts (no water), my facial hair grows a lot and my body heals more powerfully at the same time. I bet you can build muscles and heal at the same time during urine fast, but I haven’t tried that yet.

Do you combine urine therapy with the dry fasting? Like save the urine in glass bottles then drink the urine in about an hour window at night so your dry fasting about 23 hours then drinking all your urine in about 1 hour.

My name is Daniel from London, UK…I’m currently on day two of a water fast, my intention is to do a 21 day water fast then break for two weeks before embarking on a dry fast. I am looking for a fasting buddy to help me through.

I have done a 7 day water fast before (twice) now I want to start pushing.

Daniel, if I may- with longer fast (over 15-18 days), you will most likely go thru (2) acidic crisis cycles.. it is very very important to remember-it takes almost just as long or little less to ,,come back” from a prolonged fast( the right way)..I ve read a book by a russian Dr.Filonov who is the leading authority doctor on dry fast and fasting in general in the world..he runs a hospital where people come to fast from all around.. If you plan on water fasting for 21 days-itl take your body minimum of 14-18 days to re-group..you’re going to loose lots of weight& fat , (although some of it will come back fairly quick)-in short -it is not suggested at all to come back from long water fast (in your case 21 days) and (couple weeks later) going back on even on more strict dry fast..what is your motivation ? Is it a medical condition..? spiritual reasons? Loose weight ??..Why dont you improvise now while you at it-you can combine 5 days water then next 2 days dry fast and so forth..by the time ,if you even last 21 days(thats a punishing fast), I think last thing on your mind will be going right back on even more brutal fast ..I ve done some longer water fast & dry fasts and after so many days I couldnt even take water anymore, total dislike..be very careful,especially if you’ve only done 7 day fasts so far..good luck bud..

Hi Esmee and others: over the past year I have done a few dry fasts ranging in length from 48-72 hours. Dry fasting is great for all the reasons said. I even cured a poorly healed shoulder with dry fasting – it no longer makes noises when I elevate my arm a certain way.

However, the one problem I still have is an irritant dermatitis. Dry fasting barely makes a dent. Does anyone have experience using dry fasting to cure dermatitis permanently? Do I have to repeat the 48-hour dry fast every weekend? Do I need to perform a longer dry fast (4, 5 or 6+ days) for deeper healing?

Memorial Day is coming up and I am thinking of taking a day or two off beforehand to knock this into the stratosphere. Hoping someone can provide any perspective. Ty.

Hi Esmee, I stick to a paleo diet but I find I cheat once a week with alcohol or pizza or a cheeseburger. In the recent past, I have tried very strict diets like wheat grass only for a week or two but it’s just so difficult to follow. As memorial day nears, I will stick to a strict paleo diet and try my best to limit sugars (fruit only). I really want to beat this because the irritation is a nightmare.

Okay, well dry fasting will not have a lasting effect if you continue to eat foods that cause the problem. My suggestion would be to do an all beef diet for 30 days and see if it help to improve the skin condition. The skin condition is the result of one or more of the foods you are eating. By eating only beef, you will be doing what I call a Paleolithic version of the elimination diet. If you can afford to eat steak, that would be your best choice.

I managed to go three weeks eating meat and drinking water. I used unsalted butter to cook with. My skin improved a great deal. I have to be more disciplined though as I did not make it the full 30 days (cheated at a BBQ). I recognize the benefits of this diet though. The all meat and water diet helped a great deal and I am going to stick with it as much as possible. I feel great. Thank you.